Tuesday, October 13, 2009

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) applauded the U.S. Attorney'sOffice for the District of Columbia’s announcement of arrests and indictmentsinvolving counterfeit semiconductors. “Semiconductor counterfeiting is fraud, pure and simple,” said SIA PresidentGeorge Scalise. “Today’s law enforcement actions should send a clear message tothose who traffic in counterfeit semiconductors that this illegal activity willnot be tolerated. The SIA will work with governments around the world to ensurethe integrity of semiconductor markets. Electronic equipment manufacturers canalso combat counterfeiting by purchasing semiconductors only from trustedsources,” Scalise added.

SIA formed an Anticounterfeiting Task Force in 2006 to address the growingproblem of semiconductor counterfeiting. The Task Force’s work with U.S. Customsand Border Protection led to the seizure of 780,000 counterfeit semiconductorsin two operations in 2007 and 2008. Task Force assistance with law enforcementofficials to arrest suspected traffickers in counterfeit semiconductors opens anew front on the war against counterfeits. Last week’s action involvedImmigration Customs Enforcement, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, andInternal Revenue Service as well as the Department of Justice. If convicted, thedefendants in the case could face a likely sentence of 63-78 months in prison,as well as forfeiture and restitution.